


The Accused is An Innocent Man

by FireflysLove



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-01
Updated: 2017-02-04
Packaged: 2018-09-21 07:40:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9538244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireflysLove/pseuds/FireflysLove
Summary: Or: The Wrath of KaraThe Guardian reveal goes a little differently.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm still Angry that James and Kara broke up in such a Bullshit way. I was idly speculating during 2x10 how much more interesting the Guardian reveal would be if they were still together. That's what this turned into.

The ringing penetrates her dreams seconds before she wakes up, leaving dream child-Kara very confused. She fumbles for a moment before finding her phone, nearly knocking it to the ground in the process. Special issue DEO phones keep her from crushing it as she angrily pokes the button to answer it.

Alex’s voice is _far_ too cheerful, “Did I wake you?” she asks.

Kara only grumbles a reply. It’s not the sleep she needs, but the dream was nice.

“There’s a Situation on 25th and Chestnut,” Alex says, and Kara can hear the capitalization in her voice.

“I’ll be there in three minutes,” Kara says, and hangs up the phone.

For once, she actually has to put the Supergirl costume on, given last night’s _activities._ She’s just hopping into the left boot when James sits up, scrubbing his hand over his face.

“Duty calls?” he asks.

“She usually prefers Alex,” Kara quips back.

“Have fun,” James says, and then rolls back over.

Kara opens the window and steps out. As usual, she relishes the feeling of flight, the flapping of her cape behind her, the precise control.

She’s out of earshot when James’ phone rings.

 

“We’ve got a Situation on 25th and Chestnut,” Winn says, and James can hear the van starting up in the background.

“I assume that’s where Kara hopped out of bed to go?” James says, rolling out of the sheets.

Winn makes a disgusted noise. “Man, I don’t want to hear about that!”

“Winn, it’s 3am, we were _sleeping_ ,” James says.

Winn doesn’t sound convinced.

 

Kara slams down in front of the alien. She’s not sure what kind it is; and given the van it has ripped in half, it’s probably not very friendly, but it never hurts to try diplomacy.

“I’m Supergirl,” she says. “I need you to stop destroying the city.”

The alien laughs and throws the front half of the van at her. “Stupid Kryptonian, think you can take on ME?” it challenges, banging its hands against its chest, crushing the back half of the van in the process.

“Well, I’ll take that as no on the stop destroying the city thing, then?” Kara says, launching herself into the air.

Alex’s voice crackles over the radio, “We’re ETA ten minutes. Mon-El says the thing is a Jagrulk and it has a vent at the back of its neck that should take it out if you can hit it with something big enough.”

“Copy,” Kara says, circling around to the Jagrulk’s back. There is a circular vent about the size of her palm on the back of its neck, but it’s surrounded by hardened plates that cover the rest of the thing’s torso.

She flies over to the front half of the van and pulls one of the doors off, flinging it at the Jagrulk in an attempt to distract it. It fails rather spectacularly. Kara then attempts to throw the rest of the van piece-by-piece at the thing until she runs out. The DEO team is still five minutes out when she hears an engine in the distance. She rolls her eyes. Figures Guardian would find out about this.

He rolls into sight, abandoning the motorcycle a dozen yards from the Jagrulk.

“This thing have any weaknesses?” he shouts.

Kara bites her lip. He might provide just enough distraction…

“Vent on the back of his neck,” she shouts back, dodging the other half of the van, now crushed into something resembling a metal snowball.

Guardian throws a rock at the Jagrulk, attempting to get its attention.

“What’s the situation, Supergirl?” Alex asks.

“Guardian showed up, and that vent’s damn hard to hit,” Kara replies.

The Jagrulk throws a dumpster at her, which goes through an adjacent wall. Luckily, they’re in the warehouse district, and the building is vacant. Guardian throws another rock at the alien, and it turns on him, giving him a good solid kick back in the direction of his motorcycle.

The DEO vans squeal up then, and the back doors burst open.

Alex is first out, holding a Very Large Gun. She shouts a warning to Kara, who backs far away, and then fires it. It emits a pulse that envelops the Jagrulk and sends it toppling. Unfortunately, it’s also blinding to Kara. Agents swarm it with a net to keep it contained. By the time Kara’s vision returns, the Jagrulk is bundled up onto a trailer and Guardian and his motorcycle are gone. Kara flies up above the buildings in an attempt to follow him, but it’s too late. She lands with a curse and gets in the van with Alex.

“One of these days I’m going to figure out who he is and kick his ass,” Kara says under her breath.

Alex doesn’t say anything, just looks at her gun smugly.

 

James limps into the van. He stashed the motorcycle in one of the many storage facilities that Guardian has rented for just such purpose.

“Daaaaaamn,” Winn says. “You look rough.”

James just groans.

 

Kara spends the rest of the night dealing with the Jagrulk, who does not appreciate being captured, then rushes home to get changed. James is already gone, but that doesn’t surprise Kara, he’s a busy man in the mornings. She hops into her clothes, shoving a bagel in her mouth, and then rushes out the window, having to forego the bus today. By the time she gets to CatCo, her nerves have settled and she’s ready to deal with Snapper.

He’s in a good mood this morning, apparently, and she comes out of the office with her wits still gathered around her.

The rest of the day is spent covering last night’s fight with the Jagrulk, and Kara once again manages to get an “exclusive” interview with Supergirl. The rest of the reporting staff is jealous of her source, but considering the amount of Snapper’s ire she frequently invokes, none of them particularly want to _be_ her.

Lunch is a rushed affair, barely an excuse to say hello to James before they both bustle back off to their jobs.

By the time it’s time to go home, Kara feels like she could use a bath. Throwing vans for early morning cardio isn’t as much fun as it sounds. She hurries home, and checks the clock. Not enough time for a bath, but enough for a shower.

Wednesday is Dinner Night for all the Superfriends (and Maggie, who has become an honorary Superfriend). James is the first to arrive. Technically, he still has his own apartment, but he’s spending most nights at Kara’s lately. He winces when she hugs him, but she just puts it off as her being a bit overzealous with her strength.

Within ten minutes, her table is surrounded, Winn and Mon-El being the last to trickle in with a bottle of wine that looks suspiciously reopened. It’s Alex’s turn for the entrée, and given that previous attempts have been… dubious at best, they’re all relieved to find a nice, edible, lasagna in the pan.

It’s Eliza Danvers’ recipe, and apparently the first time Maggie has had it.

“There’s something in there…” she says, not quite sure of what it is.

“Secret ingredient,” Alex says. Kara nods solemnly, sworn to secrecy at a young age.

Maggie gives Alex a _Look_.

“You’ll have to ask Mom!” she says.

Of course, Eliza Danvers also said she’d only give the recipe to their spouses, but neither of them say that.

It’s late by the time everyone leaves, and James is yawning widely.

“Staying the night?” Kara asks.

James nods, smiling in his yawn. “You mind?”

“Hardly,” Kara says with a smile.

 

He has half a closet and two drawers here, and if he’s being honest, he should just move in. But there’s…something holding him back. ( _Guardian!_ a traitorous piece of him whispers.) He makes sure Kara’s not in the bathroom when he goes in and peels his shirt off to look at the damage.

A large bruise blossoms across his chest, exactly Jagrulk-foot shaped. Alex had proclaimed it “not fatal” and told him to avoid straining it with a roll of her eyes. James winces as he pokes it, and then pulls a shirt on over his head. It would be a … hard bruise to explain away.

He returns to the bedroom, where Kara is sitting on her side of the bed, a book in hand. She’s probably not going to sleep tonight, but it’s nice to have the company.

She smiles at him. “That’s a ridiculous shirt,” she says.

It is, it says “Supergirl’s #1 Fan” on the front.

“But it’s true, and you know it,” he says, returning the smile, and climbing into bed.

They kiss, and then he tugs the blankets up around his shoulders. She doesn’t need light to read by, so he turns his off and closes his eyes. The early start to the day catches up to him and he’s asleep almost immediately.

 

In the middle of the night, Kara is startled by James sitting up. He doesn’t seem to be fully awake, but he clutches at the hem of his shirt and hauls it off over his head. He makes a strange, almost pained noise as he does so, and Kara turns to get a better look at him. He tosses the shirt aside, and she’s confronted by a huge bruise across his chest.

She barely restrains herself from poking it before he drops back off to sleep.

 _Is that why he was wincing earlier?_ She wonders.

And where did that huge bruise come from?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, apparently this fic is going to serve as my "yell at this season of Supergirl catharsis". There's going to be a lot of angry yelling! It'll be great!

Livewire sends Guardian and the cop halfway across the room, then they make their escape. Kara is seething with anger as she rounds on Mon-El.

“You were supposed to stay with the police!” she shouts.

“You were in trouble!” he shouts back.

She grits her teeth and takes a deep breath, “We just talked about this, _I_ can handle it, _they_ can’t. You have to listen to me!”

Mon-El rolls his eyes, and Kara shakes her head. He’s probably hopeless.

She turns away from him and toward the two bodies lying prone on the floor. Guardian is closer to her, and the allure of finally being able to see his face is irresistible. She gestures for Mon-El to go to the police man, and cautiously approaches Guardian.

His chest is rising and falling, so he’s still alive at least.

It’s the work of a moment to pry the helmet loose, and then it’s off.

Kara sits down on the floor in shock.

“James?” she croaks.

He doesn’t reply, of course.

Sirens sound in the distance, but there’s a much closer sound of running footsteps. Mon-El said something, but Kara couldn’t care less at the moment. Dual feelings of incandescent anger and gut-punch fear build in her stomach. A hand on her shoulder makes her jump, and she looks up into Winn’s face. He looks terrified.

“We have to move him before the police get here,” he says.

Kara blinks a few times, then, “We’re at a _police station_ , Winn. Why are you… you know what, never mind. Mon-El?”

“He’s still alive,” Mon-El says, sounding contrite, at least.

The sirens sound like they’re rounding the corner, and Kara sighs, jamming James’ helmet back onto his head.

“I’ll take him to the DEO,” she says. To Winn, “You deal with this mess, Agent Schott.”

She picks James up and takes off, flying over the heads of the first responders. Moments later, she’s in the DEO’s medbay, dealing with a suspiciously quiet Alex.

“He should wake up in a few minutes,” Alex pronounces. “And the NCPD says their officer has already woken up.”

Kara scrubs her hands over her face. “Why wouldn’t he tell me? Why did he hide it? Just… why?”

“You’ll have to ask him,” Alex says.

“You’re not surprised,” Kara says, glancing up at Alex. “That James is Guardian, I mean.”

Alex looks away, and Kara knows that look. “They swore they were going to tell you,” she says finally.

Kara bites back a caustic reply. “Does the entire damn world know?”

“He was just trying…” Alex starts, before Kara interrupts her.

“Don’t make excuses for him, Alex,” she says. “I want to know why and I want to hear it from him. And apparently from Winn.” She sighs, twisting the end of her cape between her fingers. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Alex hesitates, “It wasn’t my secret to tell,” she says. “I’ve been feeling a bit… sensitive to secrets lately.”

Kara buries her face in her hands again, “I shouldn’t blame you, it’s not your fault all the men in my life seem to be idiots. All of them. Is it illegal to drop Mon-El off a cliff if I know he’ll live?”

Alex cracks a small smile, “Probably, but I’d look the other way.”

Kara makes a moue of distaste. “I guess it’s not your secret, and it’s not fair to expect you to keep _my_ secret and not to keep other people’s, but it still stings.”

“I’m sorry,” Alex says softly, placing a hesitant hand on Kara’s shoulder. Kara gives her a sad smile and squeezes her hand.

 

* * *

 

Winn strolls in a few minutes later, looking mighty confident for someone who has invoked Kara’s wrath. Or maybe he’s not quite aware of exactly how wrathful she’s feeling. She rounds on him, and he freezes. She grabs him by the arm and pulls him toward the elevator.

“I have a few things to say to you,” she says, “and I’d rather not shout them in front of the entire DEO.”

He gulps.

When the elevator door opens into the training room she uses with Mon-El, he backs away from her, and she stalks forward.

“So,” she says, almost conversationally, “whose idea was it?”

“H-h-his,” Winn stutters.

“And?” Kara says, raising an eyebrow.

“He asked me for help with a suit,” Winn says, “I tried to say no, but he kept insisting…”

Kara cuts him off with a scoff, “Oh, so you have no will anymore? James can just tell you to jump and you’ll ask how high?”

“He went out and did it himself and got hurt—” Winn says.

“And you thought ‘Oh, I should make him a suit’?” Kara says sarcastically.

“Yes!” Winn says. “I couldn’t talk him out of it!”

“And you don’t know anyone else who might have been able to talk him out of it? Who actually _knows_ what it’s like out there? Who, for the love of all the fucking deities _actually fucking cares about him_?” Kara says, her voice reaching a shout by the end.

Winn takes a few steps back, “I care about him,” he says quietly.

“But you didn’t just build the suit, did you?” she says, voice returning to near-normal. “No, you stole a DEO truck and went out, night after night, helping him.”

“I didn’t steal it!” Winn says, “I returned it every time!”

Kara rolls her eyes. “I’ll let J’onn deal with you there. I suppose you’re going to tell me you were _concerned_ for his _safety_ and that’s why you kept going out with him. No ulterior motives, just completely altruistic.”

Winn winces, “I… I…”

Kara raises an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.

“I’m always the one behind the damn keyboard, the one who builds the suits, I never get to _do_ anything!” he says.

“That’s because you wouldn’t survive the stuff that I do!” Kara says. “There’s a reason I can fly! For fuck’s sake, Winn, do you really want to be out in constant danger all the time? Are you willing to get thrown through buildings? Because it’ll happen and you’ll die!”

Winn just stares at her.

“I care about you, Winn,” she says. “But you’re being stupid. What you do here is invaluable. I’d be dead a hundred times over if you weren’t behind that keyboard, if you hadn’t designed this suit. It takes a team to do this, and we can’t all be out in the field. I couldn’t do what you do. I need you here, making sure all the parts run smoothly so that I don’t get blindsided by Mon-El doing something stupid or there being two Livewires or inconvenient vigilantes. So while I’m pissed at you, that’ll pass. But Winn, I’m so disappointed. Not just because you went and did all that shit, but because you don’t think you’re valuable with what you do, and that’s… saddening.” She frowns at him, mouth forming a tight line, then turns on her heel and walks away, leaving him standing motionless in the middle of the empty room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all know Kara's Disappointed face, right?

**Author's Note:**

> The [tumbls](http://fireflyslove.tumblr.com).


End file.
